Monthly Archives: March 2016

Greetings, readers. Just a quick hello today in what is going to be a short blog entry. Rebecca is again under the weather and I think she will be glad if I cut her loose early today. Couple that with the fact that I just got back from an eye exam and my eyes are blurry from the drops and we have a heck of a mess.

A quick R.I.P goes out to two of my favorite TV personalities: James Noble who played the governor on Benson, and also the talented Patty Duke. They were two of my favorites. My sympathies go out to their families.

As far as Friday goes, there will be a blog entry as usual. If Rebecca is here that’s great, and if not, I’ll have to wing it.

Greetings, readers. As I continue my search for gainful employment, I have found out that most job applications are now done online. Without mentioning the name of the business, I am going to fill you in on what Rebecca and I just did this last hour. It was a frustrating experience.

After typing in name, address, social security number, etc, we got to the never-ending (we are still not done – we quit to do a blog entry) pre-application section. Yes, you read correctly. Before getting to the application section. After 52 minutes, we still haven’t reached the actual application part with education history, job history, and references sections. With time needed to do today’s blog, we were forced to click the “save now” button. I’m glad they had that option; some business’ websites don’t.

Another issue I had today was that I felt some of the questions to be non-pertinent to the job, as well as none of their business. I kept waiting for the what is your religion question. (Joke. I actually know that is illegal to ask). I’m going to have to finish the application this evening because even though it says I have two months to complete it, I doubt the job will be around that long.

The one thing the application did do was make me take a good hard look at myself. I kept asking, should I be completely truthful or click the answer I think they are looking for? The one that will get me the job. I decided for mostly the truthful answers. I will admit a couple of questions were so obvious, I couldn’t resist. Of course, they want me to like to multi-task, which I’ll be honest, I’m not the greatest at. Though I suppose I could learn. Rebecca was particularly bothered by a section on which adjective described me best at work, with choices that did not match, like Content or Cheerful. As she burst out with, those are not mutually exclusive, you can be cheerful because you are content. She was not content or cheerful about it.

Two questions have popped into my brain about this job. First, do I really want it? Well, I do need the extra money right now since I am having trouble making my monthly budget. But I might not be quick enough to keep up the pace there. Second, do I think I’m going to get the job? No. I didn’t take tests well in college, and I consider these long application sections very test-like. I probably will bomb it. But time will tell.

On a quick side-note, yesterday was the six-month anniversary of my girlfriend Traci and me being together. A lot of our friends chimed in on Facebook with likes and thumbs-ups.

This blog entry is #494. Not that many to go before the magic 500. I think I will discuss my most read topics, such as Air Crash Investigation stories, the blog entry about my father, and From Rebecca: A little bit in a hurry.

So there you have it. Another week’s blog entries are in the books. Have a great weekend, take care, and, as always, happy reading.

Greetings, readers. I have been without a car since 2008. I enjoyed the years I drove very much, but an accident totaled my vehicle. With the money situation the way it is, I’ve been told by my accountant that even a used car is not in the current spending plans. For now the occasional Zipcar will have to suffice.

In the early years of my driving career, I would drive past our local airport and head for the back country roads. They would twist and turn and that drive really kept my skills and reflexes up. The only time I really drive distances now is in August when I go to Maine in a rental car.

Even though I have Meals on Wheels, a lot of times I like to have an evening snack when I watch TV. Luckily there is a store nearby, but it is a drug store with a small selection of food in it and their prices are not cheap. For me to go to an actual supermarket I would have to either rent a Zipcar or take the bus. The bus poses two problems. First, I’m going by someone else’s time schedule. And second, depending where I get dropped off, I would have to lug my bags back home. It is not the worst thing in the world, but when you have a convenience store right in walking distance, that choice is more expensive but quicker.

The only doctors in walking distance are my psychologist and the dentist. My general practitioner and, most importantly, my neurologist, have to be reached either by bus, cab, or Zipcar. This can get a bit expensive and inconvenient. For my next doctor’s appointment, I will need to get a bus an hour and fifteen minutes early, because the next scheduled bus would make me late to my doctor’s appointment. And as much as an hour could be between the end of an appointment and the next bus.

I don’t mind taking alternate transportation when it is needed, but I’ve cut my Zipcar usage way down. Basic insurance is covered by the company, but yearly dues and full insurance are two yearly major expenses for me.

If I had my own car, I could hop in it tomorrow and go visit Walnut Grove, Minnesota, if I wanted to. To accomplish this in my current situation, would require a check of the Amtrak train schedule, one of the many long distance bus charter companies, or an airplane. With money tight, I think I’ll just stay home. My point is, that if I just want to get up and go, I can’t. About 75% of my life must be planned out.

Zipcars do help. But that sense of freedom, of hopping in my vehicle and going anywhere anytime is gone for good. From now on, I will have to walk, take a bus or a cab, or some other means of transportation, to get where I’m going. This coming Sunday for Easter, as happened this past Christmas, my girlfriend’s friends have invited us to have dinner, but they have to come pick us up in their car. Although this is not the most terrible thing in the world, I do feel a little bit like a burden to them. Perhaps next holiday, we’ll rent a Zipcar and pick them up.

If I have to take my girlfriend somewhere, like to her doctor or to the hospital, the Zipcars are $9 an hour, and we would book it for at least 3 hours to be sure we have enough time. My lowest tally with her has been $27. That is not exactly the same as her chipping in $5 for gas if I took her in my car. Plus, if all the Zipcars are rented and she needs to get there in a hurry, we are calling a taxi cab. And once again, we wait for them. If we want to take a drive to see the scenery, or go for a special lunch someplace that is a few towns over, I would want to rent that Zipcar for at least 3 to 4 hours, and we are talking about $36. Sometimes we just don’t have that to pay, so we don’t go.

Do I miss my car? Absolutely. With all the expenses, such as gas, upkeep and insurance, I’m probably lucky that I don’t have one. Knowing my luck, I would crack a cylinder head and it would be a $3,000 repair. Do I miss my freedom? Absolutely. But in 8 years I’ve learned to adjust. Things are more difficult without a car, but I am making it work.

Until Friday, when we will have another interesting blog post for you, take care, have a great couple of days, and happy reading.

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Greetings, readers. The last 48 hours have not been what I would call “peaches and cream” for me. I do tend to worry and fret about a lot of things, but over the last couple of days money worries have really stressed me out. Rebecca and I had our usual Wednesday meeting with my accountant and, though I am not calling it a failure, it did not ease my stress level. He says I spend too much money and he is correct.

Luckily today is my therapy day and I’ll have tons to talk about. I always think that I can make myself feel better, though I am finding it harder and harder to get by without help. Yesterday afternoon and this morning I was blowing off steam. Sometimes just talking my problems out makes me feel better. Sometimes not. This is one of those times that didn’t. Although, a plan of action came of it.

The time has come for me to put the writing career on the back burner and look for a local part-time job. I think it would benefit me in two ways by doing this. First, I would feel good about myself because I would be a productive member of society. And second, the extra income certainly wouldn’t hurt. I picked up the information for the on-line job application from a local shop, and Rebecca and I will be doing that right after today’s entry. I have already spoken to a couple of people about getting a part-time job at Panera at the end of summer or in the fall.

Whether I will be strong enough or coordinated enough to do said jobs is still to be seen. But it is the attempt that is important. I am no longer going to sit on my bottom and wait for things to come to me. I am going to go get them … whatever they are.

Yesterday I was talking with my girlfriend and we were both listening to each other as we vented our separate problems. At one point I said something incredibly stupid. I told Traci that perhaps I would rent a Zipcar and drive off a mountain. Would I really do that? No! I am more of a fighter than that. That is the frustration talking. After today’s therapy session, I know I will feel better and will have more tools in place to deal with life’s daily setbacks.

After this blog post, we have only 8 to go until #500. If any of you have a topic that you would like to suggest to me to write about for #500, write it to me in the comments section or on my Facebook page and I will definitely consider it.

I will not have a blog entry up tomorrow. Until next week, have a very nice weekend, take care, and happy reading. And by the way, happy St. Patrick’s day.

I watched the spectacle that was the O.J. Simpson trial as it unfolded in 1994 and 1995, though I wasn’t as obsessed with seeing every minute of coverage as so many people in the nation were at that time. When the verdict was read, I happened to be off-duty at my workplace, a supermarket, where they had a TV up for customers to view the final result. The whole crowd of us gasped as we heard the verdicts of not guilty.

I am reminded of this time now because I have been watching the show The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story on the FX network. The 10 episode series began on February 2, 2016 and still has a few episodes to go as I write this. It is based on the book The Run of His Life: The People vs. O.J. Simpson by Jeffery Toobin, who was one of the show’s writers. The cast and crew have done a great job of recreating that time.

The cast is full of terrific actors. A gimmick of the show is to use makeup and costuming to match the look of each actor to the real-life person he or she is portraying as closely as possible. For me as a viewer, I had a few moments of double vision as I remembered the faces and names from decades ago superimposed on the faces of the actors, many of whom were familiar to me from other works. I got used to it, but the first episode or two was a fun game of name-the-person. The cast includes Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey, and Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden.

The first few episodes – depicting the discovery of the bodies, the beginning of the investigation, the questioning of O.J. Simpson, and the Bronco slow-speed chase followed by Simpson turning himself in – keep the focus on O.J. Simpson and the murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. After that, the series turns to focus on the Dream Team lawyers for the defense and the two main lawyers for the prosecution. As also happened in real life, Nicole and Ron are overshadowed by the drama.

The show does a great job of highlighting the media circus aspect of the case that makes me uncomfortable as I watch it now. The murders, the arrest, the trial, the people involved were all fascinating to the public, and the media outlets ran with it to boost ratings and circulation. The case filled the TV shows, the magazines, the newspapers, and finally the daytime viewing hours too. People connected in any way to O.J., Nicole, or the lawyers were given book deals, paid to appear on programs, paid for photos, and asked for interviews. A strange mix of fact, fiction, and rumor got gobbled up by the eager public, and this series shows this in many ways. Interviews run on TVs in the background, lurid magazine covers are on desks, a character in the supermarket check-out line looks at a magazine which insults her new hair style on the cover. The media buzz is a hum in the background of every episode.

Two other themes the show chose to highlight are sexism and racism. It was the prosecuting attorney Marcia Clark who saw her curly hair mocked on a tabloid cover while shopping, and remarks were made about her appearance throughout the trial. Episode six of the show, titled “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” opened with her at a court date with her ex-husband over custody of her kids. She was juggling a heavy work load, with many long nights with taking care of her children. That meant that they were with a babysitter or their father a lot. We see her running from that court to the court with the Simpson trial where she is late. The rest of the episode covers her reaction to the media and the progression of the trial. At one point her old ex-husband, not the one fighting for custody but another one, released nude photos of her that were published in a tabloid. In a quiet moment, she broke down crying. As this went on, she watched in court as her witnesses from the police force crumble under defense questioning and weaken her case.

Episode five, “The Race Card,” opened with a scene that underlined why so many black people distrusted the police, and believed them capable of framing O.J. Simpson. It is a flashback to when Johnnie Cochran was an assistant district attorney, and driving a nice car through a white neighborhood, on his way to a restaurant with his two young daughters. He is pulled over by a white officer for a failure to signal a lane change, though Cochran says he always signals and that this is the third time he has been pulled over that week. The scene ends with Cochran out of the vehicle and handcuffed, in front of his daughters. The officer returns from running his name, takes off the handcuffs, and tells the ADA to have a nice day. We feel the black man’s humiliation, and we carry that feeling into the rest of the episode. The defense team decided to present to the jury that the police were racist and were framing their client. On the dream team, the black lawyers, especially Johnnie Cochran, begin to edge out the white ones, especially Robert Shapiro, concerning strategy and focus. On the prosecution team, one white lawyer drops out for health reasons and the team is left with the white Marcia Clark and the black Christopher Darden. Darden and Cochran were friends at the beginning of the case, but became tense competitors through the trial. I remember, two decades ago during the original trial, being shocked at a poll result: 75% of white people believed O.J. Simpson was guilty, and 75% of black people believed he was innocent. I wondered what I didn’t know about the black community. That is such a large gap between the races, and I now believe that comes from how different the experiences with the police were for the white community and the black community.

Which brings me to the biggest lesson and opportunity the trial gave this country; a chance to talk about and understand race. It is a pet peeve of mine that people call the O.J. Simpson case the trial of the century. I get so upset by people, especially in the media, forgetting whole swaths of recent history. Calling this the trial of the 20th century ignores a lot of other important trials in the 1900s: Sacco and Vanzetti, the Scopes Monkey trial, the Lindberg baby kidnapping, the Rosenbergs, and the Nuremberg trials. But looking at the lessons of the O.J. Simpson trial, there are so many that are still relevant. So many times the justice system seems to work better for rich people and celebrities. The number of black people shot or otherwise killed by police officers, and the protests that lead to the Black Lives Matter movement, were numerous in the last few years and continue into this one. And the public is still easily distracted by a media circus filled with bright shiny scandals, celebrities, and sensational headlines.

Episode seven aired last night, highlighting the moment in court when O.J. Simpson tried on the bloody gloves and could not/would not get them on. Scenes for next week suggest that the show will get into the DNA evidence – this trial was the first big case to use it – and the plight of the jury. I remember feeling so bad for that jury, sequestered for months, and at times having to sit out for whole chunks of time while motions and other matters were addressed in court.

I am enjoying this series, and looking forward to the last episodes. It has brought up a lot of memories, and is a reminder of how far we have not come in twenty years, but these real-life people worked hard and did their best, and they deserve to have another generation know who they were and a little bit of how it was.

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Greetings, readers. I found out that my girlfriend Traci is once again having heart issues, so playing on the side of caution, she went to the ER to get checked out. I know we said this was going to be a From Rebecca blog day, but the computer went wonky and slowed her progress down. She will finish that blog entry and will post it on Wednesday.

Within the next half-hour I will be off to the hospital to see Traci and try to cheer her up. She likes when I make her laugh. Hopefully this is nothing serious, but I did agree with her decision to have it checked out. Her heart doctor should be on the way there now.

On a brief other topic. I was watching a documentary last night about a possible conspiracy theory dealing with the Titanic and her sister ship the Olympic. Could it have been the Olympic that sank that night? That very well might be next Friday’s blog entry. Usually I don’t believe in conspiracy theories, but I will admit to you that this one intrigued me.

So sorry for the short blog entry today, much more next week. Take care, have a great weekend, and happy reading.

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Greetings, readers. A very bizarre incident took place early this morning as I was sleeping. I have been known to dream and remember a good portion of them. But this dream, about my best friend, Dave Trost, was not only extremely vivid but also quite unsettling. I wouldn’t call it a nightmare, but it sure wasn’t fun.

Dave and I were in a terrible fight and the friendship was ending. We had both, “had enough,” and were giving back to one another the gifts and other things that we had exchanged over the years. As I lay sleeping, I actually remember wanting this scenario to be over. Where ever we were – it was not my apartment or my parents’ house – I just wanted to leave. Luckily around that time kitty-cat Keekee came to the rescue and woke me up.

About 11:00 this morning, still worried about this dream, I texted David and asked him if he was okay, fully expecting him to tell me that everything was fine and that I was over-reacting to whatever it was. Lo and behold, he called me back and told me that he also had a dream, where he was run over by a local bus from my area (where he used to live.) He was not killed, but we were together in his dream and I was quite upset. That is where the hair on the back of my neck stood up, when I realized that both of our dreams were quite negative and seemed connected. I know that twins sometimes get these dreams when one of them is in trouble, but I think buddy-and-brother David and I are on that same wave length. Most intriguing.

What does all this mean? Well, he is obviously okay, so perhaps I was psychically picking up bad vibrations from his dream. Who knows? I have these bizarre and disturbing dreams about once or twice a year. Hopefully this one about Dave will the only disturbing dream I have for a good six months. I’ve been told that conversations sometimes spark dreams, but I hadn’t talked to David in over a week. I guess that is what really made the dream unusual. Dave said he was going to keep an eye on it and let me know if he has any other dreams.

That is the big news for today. I have my therapy session tomorrow and the dream will be discussed first. I’m sure the doctor will have plenty to talk to me about to help me understand it.

On a side note, it is gorgeous weather here in central PA, mostly sunny with a high of 70 degrees. In early March, I will take every day like that I can get.

More than likely, there will be a from Rebecca blog entry on Friday. Until then, we both bid you a great couple of days, take care, and, as always, happy reading.

Greetings, readers. Although here in central Pennsylvania this winter has not been severe by any means, I am looking forward to spring and summer. I am a warm weather person and always will be. Here are just a few of the things that I am looking forward to in the next five months.

First, baseball season begins in April. Although the 162 game season can get a little tedious to watch every day, I love opening day, the first few weeks of the season, and the playoffs. I will be glad to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies once again.

At the end of May is the start of the summer season. The swimming pools open, and my favorite race to watch, the Indianapolis 500, takes place Memorial Day weekend.

In June, is Father’s Day, and that holds a bittersweet memory for me, for my mother passed away on Father’s Day 2003. I always mark the occasion by going to the gravesite to put flowers down and spend time with both of my parents – my father passed in 2008. As a child, June also meant the end of school. I would savor every minute between June 10th and early September. Can you tell I didn’t like school very much?

July is my birthday month, and even today I will treat myself to something special, like going for an ice cream or by going to a restaurant that I rarely go to. One year it was Meyer Dairy, which reminded me a lot of those wonderful evenings at Rummel’s Ice Cream Shop in Maine.

Speaking of Maine, in August is my usual trek up north for a week of fishing, boating, and sometimes swimming. It has to be a really hot day for me to jump in the lake.

Also in mid-July is the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. I have fun walking through the cool mist fern display which really feels good on a hot humid July day.

Before you know it, it is mid-August again and summer is winding down. I wait all year for these five months and boy they sure do go quickly.

This entry is the 488th one I’ve written and published on this blog. As we approach it, I guarantee you, my readers, that #500 will be a spectacular entry. The topic has not been chosen yet, but I can promise you that I will not just be talking about the weather. Until next Wednesday, have a great weekend, take care, and happy reading.

Greetings, readers. I’ve decided to compile a list of my favorite Super Bowls. This list might not contain the best Super Bowls ever, but it will contain the games that I loved to watch when they were played, and still enjoy seeing on the recap shows with the on-demand feature of my TV cable or on the NFL network. The games were originally titled using Roman numerals, but I am just using the numbers because it is easier for me. So here we go.

#10. Super Bowl #34, on January 30, 2000. At the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The St. Louis Rams scored 23 points, the Tennessee Titans scored 16. [Titans were stopped on the one yard line on the last play of the game. Poor Titans.]

#9. Super Bowl 32, January 25, 1998. Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24. [The Broncos’ first win, with the owner’s famous quote, “This one is for John.” John Elway was the quarterback who suffered three Super Bowl defeats.]

#8. Super Bowl 37, February 3, 2013. Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31. [Long delay because of a power outage. Some thought that it shifted the momentum of the game.]

#2. Super Bowl 25, January 27, 1991. Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19. [Bill’s place kicker Scott Norwood missed the game winning field goal with 3 seconds left. It was the ultimate wide right.]

#1. Super Bowl 3, January 12, 1969. Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7. [Conspiracy theories run rampant claiming that the Colts threw the game to give the American Football League’s New York Jets the American Football League’s first Super Bowl win right before the AFL-NFL merger. I prefer to think that the Jets won the game on their own.]

Well, there you have them. That’s my list. I know that 40 Super Bowls did not make this list; I could only choose 10. If you disagree with me or want to share your list, please leave it in the comment section or a post on Facebook.

Greetings, readers. I was pleasantly surprised this past Friday evening as I began to watch Fuller House on Netflix steaming. Last June 3rd, I wrote a blog entry called Is Fuller House going to work, where I talked about my excitement for the new show. Once it was aired, I was only going to watch one episode, and I must admit I had my doubts about whether it would be good or not. Granted, the first two episodes did mirror the original series, Full House, quite a bit, but the acting made up for it.

Fuller House revolves around D.J. Tanner, played by Candace Cameron Bure, who was widowed and with three sons, Jackson, Max, and Tommy Jr. As the series opens, D.J. had been living with Dad after her husband, a firefighter, was killed in action. As each character entered the kitchen in the opening scene, the action stopped for the applause. Then D.J. walked in and the episode picked up in tempo. As it turns out, D.J. is a veterinarian now and was running late for work. As everyone sits down to breakfast in the familiar kitchen, Uncle Jesse states, “Damn, we all still look good.” Did the opening scene seem drawn out? Quite frankly, I would say yes. But I enjoyed it.

My favorite scene of the entire series so far was when Stephanie, played by Jodie Sweetin, asked where her little sister was. Danny explains that Michele is in New York City, running her fashion empire, at which point all the cast members break character, look at the camera, and give the Olsen twins a pointed look. I must admit that I was disappointed that the character of Michele was not in the series, but it still worked. The character that stayed the same the most was Kimmy Gibbler, played by Andrea Barber. As she walked in abruptly through the Tanners back door, it was as though it was still 25 years ago.

I very rarely binge watch, but with Netflix streaming bringing out all the episodes at once, I said what the heck, let’s do it. I started at 6:30 in the evening and was done by quarter ’til 1:00 in the morning.

My high points of the series: Danny Tanner is remarried to new wife Terry; although the character was only on for the pilot episode. Second, Stephanie cannot have children; it was a bittersweet ironic twist that somehow made the series feel real. Lastly, they were still in their old house; to me I think they had to do that, for any other dwelling wouldn’t have looked right.

Now for the down points: The first two episodes had a lot of copy cat writing from the original Full House show. If I had written the pilot, I think I would have changed the plot line and not have D.J. be a widow. Second, to me the show was a little too sexy; from revealing strapless dresses to very sexy club dancing, this would not have been allowed on the networks back in the 80s. Thirdly, too many forced hugs. In the original series when the girls were younger, the cute hugs followed by the aww of the crowd was sweet. In Fuller House, it just looked forced. I gave that a hand-wave because I was used to this in the original series. Lastly, I was disappointed that neither of the Olsen twins agreed to come on, even for a cameo; I really missed them and the character they played.

I’m very pleased to say that more episodes were ordered, according to John Stamos, only days after the original 13 aired. I was hoping that it wasn’t going to be a once-and-done project.

My favorite new characters were D.J.’s middle son, Max, played by Elias Harger. He is a marvelous young actor with loads of personality and a beaming smile. Also, major thumbs up to Kimmy Gibbler’s daughter, Romona, played by Soni Bringas. Her charm, wit, and fantastic dance moves bring energy to the show; she can dance and she knows it. Good job, kid.

What’s my final overall score? Fuller House is a soft, fluffy sequel to an 80s show that was also soft and fluffy. It isn’t meant to be serious drama. It is a cute, well-done re-make by Miller/Boyett Productions, and John Stamos as executive producer. My final score is a very solid 8 out of 10.

Until tomorrow, when the top ten list of my favorite Super Bowls appears, have a great day, take care, and happy reading.